Mloukhia Tunisienne

Ingredients

• 150 g mloukhia powder, dried ground jute leaf
• 800 g beef chuck, cut into 5 cm chunks
• 300 ml olive oil
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 6 garlic cloves, crushed
• 2 tbsp tomato puree
• 4 bay leaves
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• 1/2 tsp ground caraway
• 2 tsp salt
• 1.5 litres warm water, plus more as needed
• 1 tbsp red wine vinegar
• White country bread, to serve

Before you cook

• Sift the mloukhia powder into a bowl to break up any lumps.
• Cut the beef into large chunks and pat them dry.
• Boil a kettle so you have hot water to hand throughout the cooking.

Steps

1. Pour the olive oil into a heavy, deep pot and set it over low heat.
2. Add the mloukhia powder and stir it into the oil until you have a smooth dark paste.
3. Cook the paste over the lowest heat for 20 minutes, stirring constantly, until it turns from bright green to deep army green and smells nutty.
4. Add the chopped onion, garlic and bay leaves and cook for 5 minutes.
5. Stir in the tomato puree, coriander and caraway.
6. Pour in 500 ml of the warm water a little at a time, stirring hard so the paste stays smooth.
7. Bring the pot to a gentle simmer and add the salt.
8. Simmer uncovered over the lowest heat for 90 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes.
9. Top up with warm water whenever the surface thickens past the point of stirring easily.
10. Add the beef chunks and push them under the sauce.
11. Simmer for a further 90 minutes, until the beef breaks apart under a spoon.
12. Watch for the oil separating and rising to the surface, which is the sign the mloukhia is ready.
13. Stir in the vinegar and taste for salt.
14. Ladle into deep bowls with a piece of beef in each and serve with thick slices of white bread.